SHOWCASE

With support from a Girls RISEnet Minigrant, Science Central, a hands-on science center in northeast Indiana, partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Wayne and the Fort Wayne Urban League, as well as the general public, to host our first ever exclusive girl’s technology camp. Abi Martin, the Special Program‘s Manager, has a passion for promoting STEM education for girls. The camp ran 5 days from 12:30 pm until 5:00 pm for 24 girls during the week of July 28 through August 1, 2014.

The girls participated in an array of technologies ranging from nano technology, art and digital photography, computer dissection, computer programming, basic coding, digital animation, videography, exploration of both PC and iPad technologies and exploration of Science On a Sphere, a six foot globe that is illuminated by four projectors to display over 400 scientific images.

Maryam Kahn, the teacher, reported that it was very fulfilling to see girls from different backgrounds and cultures integrate into a cohesive group as they bonded through designing projects throughout the week.

June 8th is World Oceans Day! There are many ways you can participate and strive for a cleaner, healthier ocean. You can even take a picture of yourself doing something for the ocean and post your “Selfie for the Sea” on social media by using #WorldOceansDay. If you’re artistic, you can submit a photo by June 3rd for the First Annual World Oceans Day Photo Contest. Or support the day by doing a variety of things that are good for the oceans.

As an educator, you can play an important role in getting youth involved in being stewards of the oceans! World Oceans Day has resources available for you, such as the Ocean Project’s compilation of strategies on how to reach young people and get them actively engaged in making a difference. Also, the Institute of Navigation has great lesson plans where middle school students can explore the oceans using science and ma th. And the Inwater Research Group has recently received funding to offer free curricula for all interested educators. Just complete the form to sign up for the free fall 2014 curricula, or email rmott@inwater.org if you have any questions.

Project AWARE, has created an interactive Dive Against Debris Map. This map was created to allow scuba divers to report on ocean debris and to shed light on the growing problem of ocean debris. You don’t have to live near the beach to get involved in maintaining and protecting the ocean!

April 5-13, 2014 is National Robotics Week. Get girls excited about designing robotics. There are over 200 events scheduled in 50 states, so find an event near you and "…keep the inventions coming!"

April is also Math Awareness Month! This year’s theme is Mathematics, Magic, and Mystery. You can follow @MathAware and #MathAware on Twitter to learn about great themed activities available this month. Encourage girls to explore a sustainable planet!

This year, on April 22nd let’s all celebrate the 44th anniversary of Earth Day. Earth Day was founded by US Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970, and is now celebrated in 192 countries. The Earth Day Network coordinates activities globally.

May 16th is Endangered Species Day. Did you know that more than 1,300 species of plants and animals are currently listed as either threatened or endangered in the US alone? Let’s make a difference!

Take Flight is a new after school science class at Kualapu’u School that includes an educational field trip to Honolulu. Kualapuu School is located on the Hawaiian island of Molokai where there are not museums or science centers to visit. The Take Flight program program introduced 25 Molokai students to S.T.E.M. concepts while having fun. Take Flight studied the foundations of navigation, aviation, and engineering at a 6th grade level with hands-on activities and group projects.

The after school class culminated in an educational field trip to Honolulu that gave the students a chance to take advantage of three Honolulu museums and non-classroom learning opportunities. The funding for this science program was a combination of a Girls RISEnet Mini-Grant, in-kind donations, and private donations.

The Take Flight program showed us first-hand that having positive simple science and engineering experiences can influence students in significant ways, even helping them to choose their future careers.

Highlights of the Take Flight field trip: - Tour of Hawaiian Airlines - Tour of Castle and Cooke Aviation - Demonstrations from the Life Flight Air Ambulance and Airport Fire Department - Bishop Museum Overnight Pacific Voyaging Program - Honolulu Art Museum - Science Through Art Program - Pacific Aviation Museum education program. See the flyer for the program here.

March is National Women’s History Month! This celebration’s roots go back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women's Day was first observed in 1909, but it wasn't until 1981 that Congress established National Women's History Week to be commemorated the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Every year since, Congress has passed a resolution for Women's History Month, and the President has issued a proclamation (US Census Bureau, 2014).

March 8th is International Women’s Day, and this year’s theme is Inspiring Change. So plan an event to inspire change for more women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics!

March 22nd marks the 10th anniversary of World Water Day. This year’s theme is Water & Energy, download the Advocacy Guide to learn how “water requires energy and energy requires water” and also get ideas on how to sponsor an event in your area.

Showcase Categories

Showcase

With support from a Girls RISEnet Minigrant, Science Central, a hands-on science center in northeast Indiana, partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Wayne and the Fort Wayne Urban League, as well as the general public, to host our first ...Read More

Privacy Policy | The Girls RISE (Raising Interest in Science and Engineering) National Museum Network is funded by Grant No. HRD-0937245 from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Human Resource Development, Research on Gender in Science and Engineering Extension Services (GSE/EXT) Program. Project collaborators include the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) and SECME, Inc. The project seeks to increase the capacity of science centers and museums to interest girls from underrepresented populations in the engineering sciences